| New Jersey sound | |
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| Other names | Jersey sound |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1980s;Newark, New Jersey |
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TheNew Jersey sound orJersey sound is a genre ofhouse music originating inNewark, New Jersey, during the early 1980s. It is a type ofdeep andgarage house with an emphasis onsoulful vocals influenced by Newark'sgospel legacy.
The New Jersey sound originated in the 1980s. Places likeClub Zanzibar inNewark, New Jersey, where DJTony Humphries began his residency in 1982, helped "spawn the sometimes raw but always soulful, gospel-infused subgenre" ofdeep house music known as the Jersey sound.[1][2] Besides the term "New Jersey house", there are alternative names for the genre: "In theUK, for fairly unfathomable reasons, it became known asgarage music (named after theParadise Garage in New York), while in NJ itself they simply called it club (or perhaps more pertinently, the Jersey sound,"Mix Mag reported in July 2020.[3] Newark female singers remixed by house music DJLarry Levan includedGwen Guthrie ("Ain't Nothin' Goin On But The Rent") andTaana Gardner ("Heartbeat").
In 1992,Union County'sAly-Us released its deep-house hit "Follow Me."[4]
Abigail Adams's house-music record label and store Movin’ Records in Newark's neighborEast Orange was another contributor to the Jersey Sound.[5]
The Jersey club scene also gave rise to theball culture scene in Newark hotels andnightclubs.[6] "Queen of House"Crystal Waters and other house luminaries performed on the Newark scene. DJKerri Chandler, another Zanzibar DJ, was another pioneer of the "Jersey sound" variety of house music. Jersey artists likeJomanda, with the crossover hit "Got a Love for You," found success in the early 1990s house-music scene.
Some have said that "when New York went tohip hop [during this period], Jersey stayed with the club. Because ofZanzibar."[6]
Annual summer events like theRoselle House Music Festival inWarinanco Park,[7][8][9] the Trenton House Music Festival, theWeequahic Park House Music Festival, thePlainfield House Music Festival inCedar Brook Park and theLincoln Park Music Festival attract families and house music enthusiasts, also known as house heads, dedicated to the classic 1980s Jersey sound.[10]
The Roselle House Music Festival is celebrating its 10th edition this year, taking place on Saturday, July 13, 2025.
